Cedar Valley Goes 3-1 on Opening Weekend
Dallas College Cedar Valley's baseball team went 3-1 to open the season this weekend.
The Suns swept a doubleheader at Dallas Christian College Friday, winning, 20-1 and 20-7. They split a pair with North Arkansas College at home Saturday, winning 8-3 and losing 6-1.
Both of the wins over Dallas Christian resulted in five-inning run-rule verdicts. In the first game, the Suns scored 12 runs in the first inning, and tacked on five more in the second. They added three more in the fourth to account for their 20 runs.
Cedar Valley pounded 17 hits in the season opener. Matthew Marsic went 3-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and five runs batted in. Jayden Ramos was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a stolen base. Antonio Sabala went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Blaine Thomas was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Caden Robertson homered, drove in two runs, and had two walks and two stolen bases.
Nine Suns hit safely.
Starter Samuel Massi went four innings, allowing five hits, a run, a walk, and had six strikeouts to pick up the win on the mound. Leonardo De La Garza worked the last inning without allowing a base runner, while striking out one batter.
In the second game against Dallas Christian, Cedar Valley broke a 7-7 tie in the third when the Suns put five runs on the board to take a 12-7 lead. They tacked on seven more in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
Cedar Valley finished with 15 hits, including three apiece by Jaquavius Davis and Thomas. Thomas doubled, drove in five runs, and had a stolen base in three plate appearances. Davis was 3-for-4 with a triple. Robertson went 2-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and three RBI. Cesar Mora had two hits in four trips to the plate. Ramos had two hits, a stolen base and two RBI. Sabala was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and three stolen bases.
Eight Suns had hits.
Jaxon Simmons picked up the win in relief, allowing five hits, two runs and no walks, while fanning three in two innings. Jeremiah Darrough worked the last two spotless innings, facing the minimum six batters without allowing a base runner, and had three strikeouts.
In Saturday's home opener against North Arkansas College, Cedar Valley scored five times in the third inning to build a 6-0 lead. North Arkansas picked up a run in the fifth, and two more in the sixth, but the Suns' two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth kept things out of reach.
Robertson had two hits, including a triple, walked, had two stolen bases, and drove in three runs in two at-bats. Cooper Brewer was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Sabala went 2-for-3 with a walk and four stolen bases.
North Arkansas' Logan Files and Anthony Soria each doubled home a run.
Cedar Valley starter Caleb Pacheco went five innings, allowing three hits, a run and two walks, while striking out four to earn the win. Landon Kinder allowed three hits, two runs and a walk, and fanned three over the final two innings.
In the final game of the weekend, the Pioneers pushed three runs across in the first inning to take an early lead. Cedar Valley cut the gap to 3-1 in the second when Robertson cranked a solo home run. But North Arkansas scored again in the third, and added two more in the fifth, and Pioneers starter Max Bates kept the Suns' hitters off bay.
Bates (2-0) went the distance, allowing five hits, a run and two walks, while striking out four in the win.
Five Suns recorded one hit apiece, including Marsic, Sabala, Robertson, Mora and Ryan Talley. Sabala had a stolen base.
Cedar Valley will host Hesston College in a pair of twin bills Friday and Saturday. First pitch for both days is scheduled for noon.